Just what will this new year of 2013 bring? We pray that it will be a good measure of happiness, peace and prosperity, as we greet each other with this familiar greeting. While we work very hard to bring these realities about in terms of actively pursuing healthy life choices, fostering respect and love in all our relationships, and putting our best effort and heart into our work, we realize that there are some things that are beyond our control. We ask God's blessings upon all our endeavours so that they will result in a positive carrying forth of His will in our lives and that we shall be protected from severe calamities and mishaps.

Some people begin the New Year by reviewing the past year in terms of what was enriching and beneficial and also what they would like to work upon in changing. They begin with a plan of action so that they might consciously adopt strategies and goals that they aim to achieve. This is beyond the usual list of resolutions that we all voice but realize that they will fall by the wayside in a short time. It would be good to involve God in this process of goal-setting for He remains an integral aspect in helping to accomplish what we hope with His grace.

As Psalm 127 states, "If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labour." In everything we aspire and hope to achieve, God needs to be involved on the ground level and its initial stages, right from the drawing up of the plans and steps we are going to follow. Too often, we seem to wait until we run into difficulties before we ask God for His help and guidance. By this point, it is usually a panic cry in desperation: "Please help me, Lord; I am making a mess of things here by myself."

Let us continue to raise our hopes and aspirations for this new year to God in prayer and worship, as we pray that He will help us in the discernment of what is most needed in our lives and in our world. As humans we have a propensity of making snap judgments about what is needed in certain situations, and then we are perplexed as to why things don't turn as planned. May God bless and guide us in what we long for during this year, as we express greater confidence and trust in His presence in our daily lives, so that we shall build in and with Him in all things.